Hubert de Boüard discusses his passion project – Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard

It had been over 15 years since I last sat down with Hubert de Boüard, the man synonymous with Château Angélus and one of Bordeaux’s most influential figures.

In that time, Angélus achieved Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status before dramatically withdrawing from the classification altogether in 2022.

Now, over lunch at Bob Bob Ricard in the City of London, the focus was not on Angélus, but on Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard – the flagship single-vineyard wine from his Lalande-de-Pomerol estate.

Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard

The lunch centred on three vintages of Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard, a 100% Merlot drawn from a 6ha parcel of 70-80-year-old vines growing on a bed of large, heat-retaining stones reminiscent of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with 15-20% clay.

First isolated in 2000 and bottled in tiny quantities (around 4,000 bottles annually thanks to a yield of 15 to 20hl/ha on average), this wine stands apart for its richness and concentration – even in lesser years – due primarily to the vine age and the extra 'warmth' from the stones.

The wines are aged for 33 months in barrels including 18 months on fine lees in 100% French oak with no fining or filtration.

The 2016 showed almost tropical aromas of grapefruit and pineapple, and brought to mind the legendary wines of Le Pin in neighbouring Pomerol.

Being frank, alongside the 2011 and 2013, there is something incredibly special about this wine.

Rarely do you find such interesting and concentrated examples from so called 'lacklustre vintages' outside the very top tier of the region – but these I can assure you, are that.

Beyond Merlot: Consumer-driven choices

De Boüard also shared the estate’s Chardonnay (Vin de Pays de L'Atlantique), a wine born from both consumer demand and personal preference.

'When we send 10 cases of Chardonnay and 10 of Sauvignon Blanc to our summer house, the Chardonnay is always finished and there are always a few cases of Sauvignon Blanc remaining,' he remarked.

A Burgundy-trained winemaker, he decided to plant Chardonnay in 2016 because, 'it’s what we want to drink' and because it resonates more strongly with people than Sauvignon does on his terroir.

Syrah, Grenache and a Provençal-style rosé are also produced here, all bottled as Vin de France in response to what consumers actually want. This is 'new generation' Bordeaux in action.

A farmer first

De Boüard describes himself as 'a farmer first, winemaker second'.

That philosophy drove the creation of Le Plus: one parcel that consistently produced richer, more distinctive wines, so it was separated out despite his general aversion to single-cuvée bottlings.

The large stones warm the soil, helping the old vines achieve ripeness and depth even in challenging seasons.

To further their ambitions to exhibit the quality and value of this relatively fledgling estate (purchased in 1998) to the world, they have developed one of the first genuinely all encompassing 'oeno-tourism' operations in Bordeaux.

When you wind your way up the hill from Pomerol to Lalande a Pomerol and into La Fleur de Boüard close to the village of Néac, there is far more to discover than initially meets the eye.

The estate visit and tasting are a given but beyond that there is a restaurant which not only serves all the wines by the glass, but where the simple menu is exceptionally well executed.

If you are not in a rush to leave there are three rooms above the restaurant, as well as two larger villa style apartments, a swimming pool and a hot tub.

I mention this not as an advertorial, but it strikes me that this really is the future of Bordeaux, where they can show the world first hand, how stunning the wines can be and, next to many fine wine regions, demonstrate superb value.

A candid conversation

Over lunch, de Boüard spoke openly about the 'depressed' state of the fine wine market – not something one often hears from proprietors at the upper end of Bordeaux – and his commitment to keeping prices fair for consumers, especially given the obvious quality.

He was refreshingly frank about Bordeaux’s broader challenges – demand, global popularity of the region, and of course the ultimate political hot potato, the En Primeur system.

The conversation was not strictly off the record, but I will summarise by saying I was slightly in awe of the opinions of a man who is evidently well travelled through the world of wine.

He came across as someone who knows full well how other regions are succeeding, as well as how the global economy is not, and is implementing procedures and structures that are not only empathetic to the consumer but revolutionary among so many of the 'experienced generation' of the Bordelais.

The future of La Fleur de Boüard is one that I shall follow with great interest.

Le Plus de la Fleur de Boüard tasted

The wines are listed white then red in vintage order youngest to oldest